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Topic : 08/02 Brainwashed Brides

Number of Replies: 85

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Created on : Thursday, July 28, 2005, 03:30:32 pm

Author : DrPhilBoard1

(Original air date 05/03/05) Imagine growing up in a family with 56 siblings and a father who keeps dozens of wives. It's happening in an unusual religious sect in Arizona and Utah, where girls as young as 14 are forced to marry men three times their age and have as many children as possible. Meet two teens who escaped this world of polygamy and alleged abuse a year ago. Fearing that they'll be damned to hell for running away, they're even considering going back. Can Dr. Phil help them leave their past behind? Talk about the show here.

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close to home

I am always amazed at how fast a dicussion on polygamy becomes a dicussion about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As a member of the LDS church and someone who grew up in Southern Utah very close to where these things are happening, I am glued to any and all news about this cult. I have know people who have left. I have read several books about those who experenced this lifestyle. And I have seen it first hand. I admire these girls for their courage to stand up for themselves. I marvel at people like Flora Jessop who have risked so much to help those who want to leave get out. I read an account of Flora Jessop that was written by the woman who helped her escape. The book is "From Brainwash to Hogwash" and sorry to say that I do not remember the auther. It tells of the brainwashing but also of the rape, insest, lies, and abuse that has flurished in the FLDS for generations. I greatly admire Flora Jessop for courage to leave and her willingness to help others. Waren Jeffs is not the first prophet of these people to brainwash them. He just happens to be the youngest prophet that they have ever had. And if you live in other parts of the country and think that this cannot affect you, I hope that you do not live in Texas. Waren Jeffs has bought large amounts of property there and when the authorities in Utah and Az. get to close, he bordes his privet jet and runs to his wives in Texas.

Thank you for covering this topic. I hope that people in the area and people like Flora Jessop keep working to convince the authorities ( any authorities) that there needs to be intervention and punishment to stop these abuses against the children.

08/02 Brainwashed Brides

I know that it is hard for people to believe, but these peopple in this polygomist cult are not LDS. They are a group of people that went apostate from the church many years ago. If you are a polygomist or a child moletser you are immiediatly dissmissed from the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. I really wish that when people like Dr. Phil do specials like this that they make clear the real facts, that these people are not mormons. They claim to be Mormon but they are not in any way shape or form in compliance with the teachings of Christ and the LDS church. They have been ex-communicated from the church and thier teachings are wrong. Real Mormons beleive in Jesus Christ and following his teachings of love and family. I just get so frustrated because generally Mormon people are the nicest cleanest and most patient people yet there are so many people that wish to hate us and try to make us look like horrible people. It really hurts. If you have questions about what we believe just ask, I , as many other LDS people will be glad to answer you. Take care

Dr. Phil did make it clear that these people had broken off from the Mormons a good century ago. If people are saying otherwise, it's simply because they weren't listening/paying attention to what Dr. Phil said. It's not his fault if people miss what he tries to inform them about. Unfortunately, people are very quick to speak their opinions, even if they don't bother to pay attention to the facts and information provided to them. Hopefully those who do this, will learn in time to not be quite so quick to judge what they do not understand.

08/02 Brainwashed Brides

I know that it is hard for people to believe, but these peopple in this polygomist cult are not LDS. They are a group of people that went apostate from the church many years ago. If you are a polygomist or a child moletser you are immiediatly dissmissed from the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. I really wish that when people like Dr. Phil do specials like this that they make clear the real facts, that these people are not mormons. They claim to be Mormon but they are not in any way shape or form in compliance with the teachings of Christ and the LDS church. They have been ex-communicated from the church and thier teachings are wrong. Real Mormons beleive in Jesus Christ and following his teachings of love and family. I just get so frustrated because generally Mormon people are the nicest cleanest and most patient people yet there are so many people that wish to hate us and try to make us look like horrible people. It really hurts. If you have questions about what we believe just ask, I , as many other LDS people will be glad to answer you. Take care

I HAD POSTED A MESSAGE AND IT GOT ZAPPPED I GUESS.AS FAR AS MORMONS ,JWS.POLYGAMY IS NOT DIFFERENT IN ANY OF THESE THAT I HAVE HAD THE EXPERIENCE TO MEET.WHY DO PEOPLE IN THESE GROUPS GO FROM HOUSE TO HOUSE PREACHING THE WORD OF WHAT THEY THINK IS OUR GOD WHICH IS AS FAR FROM THE TRUTH AS CAN BE.WHY WALK AROUND WITH THEIR HEADS UP AND WILL NOT EVEN GIVE THE CURTIOUSY TO SAY HI .IF YOU SAY HI TO THEM FIRST THEY IGNORE YOU.THAT IS JUST WHAT THE LORD TEACHED YOU IS IT?TO BE STUCK UP AND MAKE YOU FEEL MORE SUPERIOR OR WHAT?NOT MY GOD ,MY GOD IS A KIND LOVING GOD.WE DON'T GO DOOR TO DOOR LOOKING FOR HANDOUTS.WE HAVE HAD BOTH COME TO OUR DOOR .THE MORMONS CAME TO COLLECT FOR A NEW CHURCH THEY ARE BUILDING JUST OUTSIDE OF TOWN.YOU SAY MORMONS ARE NOT LIKE POLYGAMISTS,WELL WHY THE BIG SECRET AROUND OUR TOWN WHEN THEY COME LOOKING FOR SOMETHING ITS ONE THING BUT WHEN YOU QUESTION THEM AS TO WHAT THE MONEY IS FOR THEY DANCE AROUND THE ANSWER.THEY LIVE NEAR YET WON'T PARTICIPATE IN OUR TOWN FUNCTIONS OR TOWN MEETINGS WHICH THEY HAVE BEEN INVITED TO.NO ONE HAS EVER HARASSED THESE PEOPLE BUT YET THEY GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO AVOID US.WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN TOWN OR NEARBY THAT WE HAVE RELATIONS WITH.BUT THE MORMONS HERE AND THE JWS SEEM TO THINK THEY ARE SUPERIOR OR ARE BETTER THAN US UNTIL THEY NEED SOMETHING.OUR FAITH DON'T GO DOOR TO DOOOR SO WHY SHOULD WE HAVE TO GO ANSWER THE DOOR AND HEAR ALOT OF GARBAGE THAT I AM NOT EVEN GOING TO WRITE BECAUSE ITS NOT WORTH MY TIME AND EFFORD.WHERE IS THE FREEDOM IN WEARING YOUR HAIR DOWN ?OR WHERE IS THE FREEDOM OF WEARING PANTS IF YOU WANT?WHY ARE THESE KIDS MADE WORK BY GOING DOOR TO DOOR AND PREACH THEIR WORD?AND THATS JUST IT THEIR WORD ,BECAUSE I HEARD SOME DOOSY OF STORIES COME FROM BOTH OF THESE SO-CALLED RELIGIONS.THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE TO ME OTHER THAN MORMONS OR JWS JUST WALK AROUND ALITTLE MORE FREE THAN ONES THAT HIDE AWAY .THATS THE ONLY DIFFERENCE I SEE IN THESE CULTS!

Yikes!

I HAD POSTED A MESSAGE AND IT GOT ZAPPPED I GUESS.AS FAR AS MORMONS ,JWS.POLYGAMY IS NOT DIFFERENT IN ANY OF THESE THAT I HAVE HAD THE EXPERIENCE TO MEET.WHY DO PEOPLE IN THESE GROUPS GO FROM HOUSE TO HOUSE PREACHING THE WORD OF WHAT THEY THINK IS OUR GOD WHICH IS AS FAR FROM THE TRUTH AS CAN BE.WHY WALK AROUND WITH THEIR HEADS UP AND WILL NOT EVEN GIVE THE CURTIOUSY TO SAY HI .IF YOU SAY HI TO THEM FIRST THEY IGNORE YOU.THAT IS JUST WHAT THE LORD TEACHED YOU IS IT?TO BE STUCK UP AND MAKE YOU FEEL MORE SUPERIOR OR WHAT?NOT MY GOD ,MY GOD IS A KIND LOVING GOD.WE DON'T GO DOOR TO DOOR LOOKING FOR HANDOUTS.WE HAVE HAD BOTH COME TO OUR DOOR .THE MORMONS CAME TO COLLECT FOR A NEW CHURCH THEY ARE BUILDING JUST OUTSIDE OF TOWN.YOU SAY MORMONS ARE NOT LIKE POLYGAMISTS,WELL WHY THE BIG SECRET AROUND OUR TOWN WHEN THEY COME LOOKING FOR SOMETHING ITS ONE THING BUT WHEN YOU QUESTION THEM AS TO WHAT THE MONEY IS FOR THEY DANCE AROUND THE ANSWER.THEY LIVE NEAR YET WON'T PARTICIPATE IN OUR TOWN FUNCTIONS OR TOWN MEETINGS WHICH THEY HAVE BEEN INVITED TO.NO ONE HAS EVER HARASSED THESE PEOPLE BUT YET THEY GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO AVOID US.WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN TOWN OR NEARBY THAT WE HAVE RELATIONS WITH.BUT THE MORMONS HERE AND THE JWS SEEM TO THINK THEY ARE SUPERIOR OR ARE BETTER THAN US UNTIL THEY NEED SOMETHING.OUR FAITH DON'T GO DOOR TO DOOOR SO WHY SHOULD WE HAVE TO GO ANSWER THE DOOR AND HEAR ALOT OF GARBAGE THAT I AM NOT EVEN GOING TO WRITE BECAUSE ITS NOT WORTH MY TIME AND EFFORD.WHERE IS THE FREEDOM IN WEARING YOUR HAIR DOWN ?OR WHERE IS THE FREEDOM OF WEARING PANTS IF YOU WANT?WHY ARE THESE KIDS MADE WORK BY GOING DOOR TO DOOR AND PREACH THEIR WORD?AND THATS JUST IT THEIR WORD ,BECAUSE I HEARD SOME DOOSY OF STORIES COME FROM BOTH OF THESE SO-CALLED RELIGIONS.THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE TO ME OTHER THAN MORMONS OR JWS JUST WALK AROUND ALITTLE MORE FREE THAN ONES THAT HIDE AWAY .THATS THE ONLY DIFFERENCE I SEE IN THESE CULTS!

Your experience is either unique or jaded. True Mormons are not like that. They are Christians, and believe in the same God that all Christians do. They practice differently, just like Catholics and Baptists. You have had a bad experience and should research the LDS faith a little more to see just how completely different the people you have described are from true Mormons.

Racist Yes, Off Topic Yes

THIS ISN'T A DEBATE ABOUT RACISTS,BUT TO DISCUSS HOW TO HELP THESE WOMEN &KIDS.AS FAR AS THE STATEMENT YOU REFER TO AS BEING RACIST,I DIDN'TGET THAT FEELING OF A RACIST COMMENT,THIS POSTER WAS JUST STATING THAT IT WAS SAID BY ONE OF THE GIRLS THAT THEY WERE NOT TO SHAKE A BLACK PERSON'S HAND OR THEY WILL TURN BLACK .ITS THE POLYGAMISM THAT ARE RACIST.I THINK ALSO THAT THE POSTER WAS MAKING A JOKE ABOUT SKIN COLOR YOU WOULD NOT NEED A TAN.ARE YOU SO SENSITIVE THAT YOU CAN'T TAKE A JOKE?I HOPE NOT PERSONALLY I LOVE ALL COLORS AND RACES.SO CAN YOU ANSWER MY POST TO AS WHERE YOU SEE RACISM?THANKS .CATHY

I admit that my comment was off topic; however, the posting stated that white people would be happy if they could turn dark just by shaking someone's hand, because then they would save money on tanning products. What isn't racist about that?

I agree

I know for fact that Waren Jeffs doesn't just hide in CC. he has hiding places all over the states.

also in Canada. He's used false ids and even had his cronies raise hell so he could slip through.

He may be there now.

These women are taught that they are free so long as they do as they are told by their "priesthood head".

And he is building in Texas, and no one knows his wearabouts. But who really cares where he is? Why can't the govt. step in and take charge of the situation that is happening in CC right now? We didn't know where Bin Ladin was and we tore apart "his" country. I hate to draw those parallels...but well it is just so easy to do.

MY OPOLOGIES

Dr. Phil did make it clear that these people had broken off from the Mormons a good century ago. If people are saying otherwise, it's simply because they weren't listening/paying attention to what Dr. Phil said. It's not his fault if people miss what he tries to inform them about. Unfortunately, people are very quick to speak their opinions, even if they don't bother to pay attention to the facts and information provided to them. Hopefully those who do this, will learn in time to not be quite so quick to judge what they do not understand.

OH I AM SORRY I STARTED WHATCHING A LITLE AFTER THE SHOW STARTED -- I MUST HAVE MISSED THAT. I APOLOGIZE FOR THE OFFENSE IF I MADE ANY. ITS JUST HARD WHEN YOU LOVE AND BELIEVE IN SOMETHING AND PEOPLE GO OFF AT YOU FOR TRYING TO LIVE A GOOD LIFE. NO ONE LIKES TO BE RIDICULED AND CALLED NAMES. I ALSO WISH THAT PEOPLE WOULD THINK BEFORE THEY SPEAK AND GET THE FACTS BEFORE THEY SAY HURTFUL AND UNTRUE THINGS. I FEEL SO BAD FOR THE PEOPLE IN THIS CULT, THEY DONT KNOW ANY DIFFERENT. ITS SAD AND TRAGIC AND THESE PEOPLE THAT TORMENT THESE WOMEN AND CHILDREN, AND THEY WILL HAVE TO ANSWER TO GOD FOR THEIR DEEDS. BECAUSE OF THAT I WILL NOT JUDGE THEM EVEN THOUGH I DO NOT AGREE, I WILL LET THE JUDGEMENT COME FROM THE LORD

Mormons

There seem to be a lot of comments about not wanting to associate the Mormons with the FLDS church. Take a look at where the FLDS came from, or the Mormon religion for that matter, the whole thing started with the prophet Joseph Smith, he himself taught polygamy, he himself was a polygamist and had many wives, and he never denounced the practice when he died. the practice continued, with Brigham Young and many of the followers, it wasn't until the Government would not let Utah become a state that they denounced the practice, that is the reason that the FLDS church was formed, the FLDS church to this day continue to teach what Joseph Smith taught, believing him to be a true prophet of God. it very much is the origional practice of the origional teachings of the Mormon church. does that make you wonder if Joseph Smith was infact a true prophet of god? I myself grew up in the Mormon church, they are wonderful people, but do not teach the origional doctrine.

Just how free do women think they are?

I couldn't help but think just how brave both Fawns are, to have walked away from their families (run actually) and everything they have ever known. I sat watching the program thinking how it's not that much different "out here." Women still aren't free out here either. I pray that they will find help to claim their voices, their bodies and desires, to learn who they are and identify their own needs and be able to move about freely and fearlessly. I pray it so for all women.

08/02 Brainwashed Brides

There seem to be a lot of comments about not wanting to associate the Mormons with the FLDS church. Take a look at where the FLDS came from, or the Mormon religion for that matter, the whole thing started with the prophet Joseph Smith, he himself taught polygamy, he himself was a polygamist and had many wives, and he never denounced the practice when he died. the practice continued, with Brigham Young and many of the followers, it wasn't until the Government would not let Utah become a state that they denounced the practice, that is the reason that the FLDS church was formed, the FLDS church to this day continue to teach what Joseph Smith taught, believing him to be a true prophet of God. it very much is the origional practice of the origional teachings of the Mormon church. does that make you wonder if Joseph Smith was infact a true prophet of god? I myself grew up in the Mormon church, they are wonderful people, but do not teach the origional doctrine.

how could you grow up in the mormon church and have such a little understanding about Joseph smith and the man he was. And how could you also know so little about what really happened in the early days of the church and why polygamy was practiced. I can tell you turned your back on the church and that is really sad. I hope and pray that you will be able to remember the truth you were hopefully taught about the church. I feel really bad for you. There were divine purposes for polygamy in the early days of the church, there were more women than men joining the church and they needed someone to take care of them. And if you did grow up Mormon you would also understand the Temple and the sacredness of certain principles. As humans we do not understand why things happen But if you think with your spirit you can see that as soon as polygamy was no longer needed to help support those women who didnt have help, it was abolished. Anyways I am sure that this wont change your opinion, I just wanted to say that if you turned your back on the church because of a bad experience I hope you can seperate that from the gospel, which is true and you should know that deep down. I will not judge you but your words against the church will be remebered by the Lord when Judgement day comes.